Happiness in Slavery
by k0m0d0-342
Summary: At moments all he could do at was close his eyes and beg for it all to be a bad dream... But it wasn't. He and Amy were slaves. :sonamy: NOT FOR FAN GIRLS OR SONAMY HATERS! OKAY MAYBE FANGIRLS BUT NOT THE LATTER!
1. Chapter 1

Hiya! No, I didn't die after 10,000 miles was finished. I've been busy wallowing in shame, since my inspiration has left me. Where oh where did our relationship go wrong! ...If I start to sob hysterically between narrating- it's not because I feel sorry for Sonic and Amy- it's because my darn artistic inspiration flew out the window!

So anyway this is an idea I've had hanging around for a while, but it took me a while to figure out how to get it in ink without any sexual content... (sweatdrop.) Stupid teenage hormones and their effects on your personality...

Anyway, I'm either gonna continue, drop the story, or delete it and post it again, cramming two chapters in where one used to be. I was gonna have a shock ending in this one- Don't worry, someone actually dies this time! Dies permanently, okay! You can get off my case now!

As with most of my fics, This is a Sonamy. It is also a Sonic torturing fic. Sonic fangirls, run away. NOW. I warned you...

The fic takes place in the near future- like what would be 2050 for us. Sonic and Amy's ages have not changed, however. There are a few hints as to where Sonic and Amy are. They aren't very good, however. Guess the planet (its a VERY familiar one... hint, hint ) and you get a prize. Like a shovel in the back. Enjoy your paralysis!

* * *

How did he let this happen? How did he let any of this happen?

"Move faster, scum! The day isn't over yet!" Came a cruel bark from behind him. After the voice concluded, an all-too-familiar slash of pain ripped across his back. The blue hedgehog cried in agony and fell to his knees- but quickly struggled upright, knowing the torture that would follow if he did not obey their orders.

Sonic didn't like thinking like that, but what else was there to do...? He had tried to get out many times... but never had it worked.

...How had any of it happened? He didn't belong here, he wasn't supposed to be here! And yet, despite all logic, all karma- all the reasons that should place him on a soft, grassy field in Amy's arms- instead dropped him in the middle of a world of chains, abuse and cold.

He pushed harder against the block of stone-, which was nearly thrice his height- along with the other 'slaves'. Yes, you heard me. _Slaves_. The word that Sonic hated, loathed, despised most of all was now his second name. He barely remembered his first name anymore- it had been too long since anyone had said it to him. He missed his friends. Tails and knuckles especially. Why not Amy, you ask? Because he _had_ seen Amy in the five months he had spent on this barren and heartless planet. Not just seen her, _kissed_ her. She was here too. She was- more than likely- also a slave although of what kind Sonic did not know. He had seen her two months after he had been captured. They had brought the two together, to ask them questions... and...

Sonic shook the bitter memory out of his head. The interrogation had been all about the location- the planet- where his species came from. Sonic knew he could not tell them. Not the people who put these chains on him. They would go there to enslave everyone else on Mobius. So he played dumb- and they bought it. But what happened next...

They had- and Sonic did not understand this- asked him to kiss Amy. He- to this day- did now know why. He had kissed her- he didn't really have a choice anyway. But Sonic had tried to enjoy it. It would be the last time that he saw her for three months.

He again summoned the remainder of his energy to push harder against the block of stone, fearing the slave driver's whip. He felt tears coming again, and fiercely bit them back. He couldn't cry. It would earn him no sympathy here.

Mobians- and other species that looked unfamiliar to Sonic, as well as moans of pain and agony surrounded him. He shuddered. Oppression was an ugly thing. He hated it. More than ever- since he was now underneath it. He sighed; knowing this was not even his last task of the day.

His speed and stamina had been recognized early- and he had been assigned nearly a third as much work as the others had. He was given assignments of plowing, collecting- and other things, large and painful words used by the slave owners- which usually carried the meaning of some laborious task that would leave Sonic beaten and bruised, with more whip marks than usual across his back. But at least he wasn't Amy.

Her upper-body strength- which by now must have been three times that of Sonic's- was highly admired amongst the slave traders. She had twice as much work as the average 'slave'. Maybe she had a job in the mines or factories. Sonic pitied her, and himself, and wished he could see her.

Again he felt the whip lash against his already bleeding back, and pushed harder, crying as the strike of pain came again. Itsent his tears out of his eyes and falling down the surface of the stone, which he rested his head upon.

If only he hadn't used chaos control. He should of known that in the state he was in- he wouldn't of been able to control it. It had sent him here- without the emerald. Without a way home. Only with Amy, who he had been attempting to save from the blast. He sobbed shakily. If he weren't here, he would be dead. But Sonic wasn't sure what was worse. He could only cling to the hope that someday he would get out. That something would happen. Sonic heard that they- the people that now addressed him as 'their property'- used to enslave another race- but that race had won its freedom. Sonic wondered if someday, maybe, he could do the same, and catch one of those spaceships he had seen so much on a ride to home.

Finally, the blessed whistle sounded, and Sonic nearly collapsed- I take it back, he _did_ collapse- against the stone. He panted heavily, and dragged himself upright. The task was over- he would get a few seconds of rest before his next assignment. The blue hedgehog gasped for air and again sat down, curling his knees to his chest and trying to relax. Many people around him did the same or similar. He wondered if they had any plans of freedom. The blue hedgehog sighed. He would never know- most of them spoke different a different language anyway- besides; you weren't allowed to talk to the others. They would hit you. He sighed, and looked at his gloveless hands (the slave owners had disallowed him any clothing) and quietly rubbed the bruises and scrapes, trying to bury himself in the hope that he would get out.

Suddenly, a cry came from his right, and he turned to look.

A young, burnt orange hedgehog, roughly 15- just barely younger than Sonic, was sprawled on the ground, sobbing, a fresh wound on his back. The slave driver raised the whip again- but to Sonic's surprise, a female hedgehog- the same age- threw herself upon him, shielding him from the blow as the whip clashed upon her back, and not that of the young male she was protecting. Immediately the slave driver yelled at them, cursed, fumed, and tore the young girl away from him, punching her across the face. The orange hedgehog cried something out in a language unfamiliar to Sonic, and ran towards the girl, but he was struck as well. The two were dragged away, in separate directions. Sonic felt like crying; the same thing had happened to him and Amy once, when they use to be in the same group of slaves- the buyers' market. He shuddered at the memories of days spent in that place- with heartless farm owners poking him and prodding him. Drawn to the signs that read 'the fastest and strongest slaves on the market- we guarantee it!" Or "male & female pair- excellent breeding possibilities for new farms!"

He glared at the memory.

He remembered the day they had been captured. It was about five days after they had appeared on the planet. The two had fled from the pursuing police to an abandoned city, and found a small, uninhabited basement. They had already eaten all the food they could find in the barren and un-refrigerated food banks of the city- (Some of it was no good, and had made Sonic sick.) and were nearly starving to death, lost in an unfamiliar world where being caught meant slavery and not being found meant starvation. He remembered his last official day of freedom, in the dark and dusty basement of an abandoned house.

..._Memories, how cherished they can be... for in them we can block what brings us pain..._

He had snuggled against Amy for warmth- but was still shaking due to the food poisoning he had gotten. He was getting better, thanks to Amy, who gave him plentiful care and affection. The pink hedgehog gently kissed his forehead, and pulled the blanket tighter around him... Her face was barely visible in the small rays of light that fell from the broken floor-boards above, but it was obviously filled with love, even if tears specked her eyes.

The two had bonded immensely sense the day they came to this place. They had spent the nights clinging to each other, listening to the occasional roar of a police plain over head, or maybe the heavy rain, hoping it would not flood the basement.

"Sonic." He remembered her saying. "...I won't let you die in here." She had promised. Sonic had tried to smile.

"...I'm not dying. I'm already getting better. Look." He said, lifting his arm to smooth the small array of quills on her forehead. She smiled slightly. "I couldn't do that before." He said. "...Not before you kissed me." He hinted. Amy chuckled.

"You mean not before you got hours of rest and some actual fresh water." She said, fondly stroking his ear.

Sonic smiled at the memory of the water fountain- still functional and clean- on the second floor. Since Sonic had been unable to stand when it was found, Amy had cupped it in her hands and held it to his lips for him to drink.

"Yeah, I guess that helped too."

Their tones of joy were loose- but still slightly false. They had known they would either be caught or die sooner or later. Sonic remembered grinning up at her, and saying:

"But I still liked the kiss."

Amy had giggled slightly, and sighed.

"Fine. You win." She laughed quietly, and leaned down to kiss him. Sonic had shuddered in pleasure as her lips met his, and melted at the mosaic of emotions that ran through his spine. She gently lay him down, and attempted to part the kiss- but Sonic pulled her back down. He wasn't quite ready for her to leave yet. After a few moments, he let her go, and relaxed quietly in her presence. The mood would have been perfect- had not Amy's stomach suddenly growled, causing the two to chuckle a little, even if it was a reminder of their own mortality. Silence eventually fell on the two, and forced their discussion to turn to an obvious problem.

"D-do you think that we'll ever find food, Ames?" Sonic asked. The pink hedgehog's expression dimmed, and she looked to the dusty floor. Sonic grew uncomfortable with the silence. "D-do you?"

"...I don't know, Sonic." She admitted honestly. Sonic pulled back. He had expected- no, wanted Amy to lie to him, and tell him everything would be okay, like she had been for the past four days. Sonic had just kept going on the hope that Amy gave him.

"But I promise you- _I_ _promise you, Sonic- I will **not** let you starve to death in here!" _She said forcefully. Sonic sighed, and sat up, only to lie down again- so that now his head was lain on her lap, which was far more comfortable than the floor. Amy smiled silently and stroked his quills. Sonic smiled. He didn't mind if he died here, if he died like this.

Suddenly, as if reading his thoughts, a loud thump came from overhead. Sonic and Amy froze, instinctively looking upward. Sonic looked to Amy, whose expression was an unearthly mix of anger, sadness, and apathy. Sonic shuddered. He was not used to seeing her like that. He was about to ask her what was going on, when she gently held a finger to his lips.

"Shhh, Sonic..." She whispered quietly. "...I'll go see..." She stood to leave, abandoning Sonic on the cold, dusty floor. The blue hedgehog pulled the blanket around him, and reached out for her.

"Wait, Amy! I- I'll come with you!" He whispered back. Amy turned to him, and shook her head.

"No, Sonic- you're still sick. Lie down. I'll come back." She assured him. Sonic shook his head.

"...Promise?" He begged, tears threatening to appear in the corners of his eyes. Amy paused, and her body stiffened. The pink hedgehog slowly kneeled next to him, and pulled him into a hug.

"I love you so much, Sonic..." She said quietly. Sonic wondered why she did not promise, and sat, confused, in her arms.

A disturbing thought crossed his mind. She hadn't known, had she?

Amy then stood and left, walking up the stairs.

Sonic unintentionally held his breath, listening to every sound that came from the floor above. His body shook terribly without Amy's warmth, and he stared longingly at the stairs, begging for Amy to come back and tell him it was just a mouse or pigeon. It wouldn't be the first time.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when Amy screamed.

"Sonic! Sonic, get out! Run!" She screamed. The blue hedgehog nervously jumped to his feet- even though he was still dizzy and weak, and- even though worried about Amy, headed for the exit- the door that lead to a tunnel, which came to the surface. Halfway there, he turned, to see large, bulky shadows coming down the stairs. Afraid, he screamed Amy's name, only to hear gunshots in return. He gasped, but ran, flinging the door open and running for his life once he got to the surface.

He sobbed as he ran- for not only did it cause pain, but also he believed Amy to be dead. Not looking where he was going, he rounded a corner and ran into one of the guards, falling over as he crashed into him. Sonic tried to scramble to his feet before he was caught, but immediately a gun fired and a tranquilizer dart stung into his back. He collapsed on the spot, and was dragged to a disturbingly dogcatcher like van, where he and Amy were thrown amongst other soon-to-be slaves. Once they awoke, Amy and Sonic clung to each other and sobbed, fearing that they were to be killed.

Sonic, once again removed from his memories, sat on the ground, tears running down his cheeks.

Suddenly, he was rudely snapped from his memories of Amy as the accursed second whistle sounded. For the slaves surrounding him, this meant bedtime. But not for him... One of the slave drivers walked up to him. Sonic panicked, and backed away against the stone he had sat down next to. Big mistake. The large man quickly seized Sonic's arm and yanked him to his feet- painfully jerking on Sonic's shoulder, which gave a snap due to the stress. Sonic cried out in pain, but it won him no sympathy as he was dropped to the ground and threatened with the whip. Sonic scrambled to his feet and ran off to his post, followed by the whip-bearing slave driver and the pitied gaze of the mobians behind him.

He wished there were something he could do.

--

After two hours of toiling in the fields with the other 'special' slaves, he was finally allowed to trod back- escorted, of course- to his room, known as Hall 53, or as he liked to call it- hell 53. It was filled with many other male slaves, (the males and females were carefully separated.) but they were no company to Sonic. He didn't speak their language. He could tell no one his stories of home- of his good friends, and of Amy. He found an uninhabited wall and curled up against it, trying to look like he was sleeping as the officer for this cabin trod past him, carefully glancing at each unfortunate soul scattered across the cold, uncomfortable floor of this cell. After taking a brief head count, the officer walked to the door and locked it thrice, sitting down in front of it on a chair, and staring coldly at the long hall, filled with slaves, before him.

The building looked like a barn- only there were no cheery stalls lined with hay, there were no animals or soft sawdust on the ground. It was a long, barren wooden hall, with a large pile of scruffy and unkempt blankets in the corner. Sonic hadn't bothered to get one tonight. Maybe he should have. There was usually a shortage anyway- but it _was_ summer and the nights weren't so cold. They were supposed to be awful in winter, though.

A guard had once told Sonic that it was the worse in winter. Then they would be moved to the mines, since there was no more constructional or agricultural work to be done. Usually the mines were saved for the females, who were naturally born with more upper-body strength. (It's a fact amongst hedgehogs.) Sonic wondered if he would see Amy there, in the winter. He begged for it to be so. He could still picture her face after all this time. And her voice, too. He was glad not to have forgotten.

He was torn from his thoughts when he heard banging on the door. His eyes grew wide, and he pitied the poor souls that were stuck out there. If you didn't get back to the halls before they filled up, you would get locked out. Someone always got locked out. Once it had been him. He remembered the cold and long night- being chased by some sort of animal. It must have been one of those freak wolves altered from the radiation on this planet. He had barely managed to live by climbing onto the roof and holding on to the top (so he wouldn't slide off) all night.

Sometimes Sonic worried if things were okay back home. He wondered if Tails and Knuckles and Rouge- everyone- were fighting against Eggman all right. He sent a prayer every night to whoever may be listening, that Amy and his friends would be safe, and one day he would once again see them, under better circumstances.

Curling up against the wood and swiveling his ears against his head as to not hear the screaming of the people outside, he eventually fell into a dark and fitful sleep, haunted by nightmares and the quiet moaning of the slaves around him.

_Life does not work as well as one would hope. Usually karma, as I have discovered, has... some effect. Sometimes, things go better when good has been done. But in some occasions, karma falls to the bigger actions of those who seem to have the world on their side. The system, the story, the world cannot be perfect. Perfection is about as enjoyable as hell. Sometimes bad things happen. And the best you can do is close your eyes and hope it will all come to pass..._

_...Wasting time in a memory,  
__The days are growing thin,  
__Look into your lover's eyes  
__And let the day begin.  
__Curse the night but bless the stars,  
__For all will end in pain,  
__Unless you hold onto their heart,  
__And morning comes again.

* * *

_

Chapter one comes to a close.

* * *

Wow. That got emotional fast. And what's with the poem? Gee- I must be feeling especially emo today or something. Ah, well- at least I got something updated. So, should I continue? I hope the idea appealed to you- I've always wanted someone to write a story like this, but since no one had, I thought I would. 

Enjoy whatever I may have updated since now! -Komodo-342


	2. No embarrasing errors here! Well, I hope

Well, some corrections today. The time would have to be around 2160, not 2050. Sorry, I typed without double-checking it. And again- I _should_ be typing on other stories right now, but I felt like doing this instead, so here I am.

**To Ri2, **Yes, I admit that the plot is 'out there' but that's what makes the story special. There isn't a plot like this in all of Sonic archive. Trust me, I researched. And you guessed right about the planet. I guess the clues weren't as subtle as I thought they were. (sweat-drop) I hope thousands of reader's don't go rushing off towards the reviews, ruining the surprise...

**"Dear U.S.S. Nottingham,"**

"The contents in your review are ever so truthful- slavery is a horrid and abusive thing, and believe it to be so or cast it aside; Sonic and Amy will not be within it for long. Although I would enjoy putting Sonic through misery for chapters on end- that is not the point of the story."

"The philosophy of the tale is how slavery effects one's soul. In this tale I will demonstrate the sheer force of will and strength that our two mobians will have and will keep in their fight for freedom. And even when they do escape- however that may occur, their battle continues not only to save the mobians left behind but also to somehow grow out of the habits their souls have been beaten into in their time as slaves."

"I am glad to know that slavery on your home is abolished- and at the end of this tale hopefully the residents of that planet will come to the same circumstances. But fear not, for at the end of it all Sonic and Amy will realize the true meaning of what it is to be free and why it is so difficult to find AND define- if it is there to define at all."

"Feel free to write whatever you would like as an addition to this story. I do it myself when someone has not updated for a long time and I know just what I want to happen next."

**To Ted: **I agree that I should describe the setting more- I just realized that I gave no detail as to what kind of place they are in. But that is just and fair- their location is kind of a surprise anyway. But I will take your advice.

**To Liz: **Thanks for the review, and thanks for looking over this chapter for me before I posted it. Behind every succesfull author is an even more succesfull beta reader! Wow, that made me sound unpopular. Oh well- I am, after all!

**To all else: **Thank you all. However, due to the amount of you, I am unable to respond to all of you. From here on in- I will only respond to reviews if I feel like it, or you ask a question, or I have extra space in the authoress' note.

Read on.

* * *

From what Sonic had heard, this planet used to be appalled by slavery- it used to be a flourishing and noble place, -not without it's problems, mind you- but filled with individuals bent on the better of their society. But it just wasn't meant to be. The species of the planet was simply a malformation of evolution- they could not change what they were. They had nearly destroyed their world with their ignorance, and in the process, had to give up most, if not all, of the things they had invented to make their lives easier. They did this in a last attempt to save their planet, even if it meant thrice the work for every individual.

But even this sacrifice, which barely preserved their world for another handful of centuries or so, brought problems. There was no longer enough work behind the agricultural and industrial industries, without the machines, to provide basic needs to the people. So the species did only what they could- they dominated nearby races, stole their planets and turned them to slaves, using their highly advanced but corrosive weapons to keep them in check. But even after this civilization had made these adjustments, they continued to destroy the planets they came to, even after they gave up the most common habits that endangered their environment.

It seemed that the race was doomed to spread like a poison through the galaxy until they had starved every resource available.

Like a fire through the woods.

* * *

Amidst the hall of otherwise quietly sleeping slaves, a solitary blue hedgehog tossed and turned in a fitful sleep. He unconsciously pressed into the rough wall behind him, shivering as he moaned quietly, trying to get away from some invisible pursuer. The poor, bedraggled young male shuddered, then jerked as his eyes snapped open and his nightmare ended.

Sonic bolted upright, drenched in a cold sweat. His first instinct was to scream- but he forcefully bit it back down, not wanting to draw any more 'attention' to himself than the overseers would normally give him. Trying to calm himself, he breathed in deeply- as well as shakily, hugging his knees to his chest and trying to drive back the waves of terror. Shuddering at the post-nightmare trauma, he tried to fight the lingering fear and get back to sleep- he had learned the hard way to get as much sleep as allowed. It kept him going through the day, and allowed him to think. If he couldn't think, he couldn't remember home. If he couldn't remember home, he would never be able to find his way back. If he couldn't find his way back, he could never get out.

And Sonic _would_ get out.

He had promised himself to do that. And he would- Sonic didn't care how long it took or how hard it would be, but he just _had_ to get out. He just _had _to... If he didn't, he would die. Sonic didn't want to die. Not now.

His nightmare had been awful, but it was beyond his memory and he could recall very little of it. There was a pleasant part of the dream, though. It had been less a visual experience than a swirl of sensations and seemingly meaningless colors. Sonic had felt safety; love and warmth- but it had been quickly torn away and replaced by swirling blackness and the howls of demons.

As he sat there, shivering, a few things began to register in his mind. Sonic moaned quietly to himself- he wished he could ignore whatever subliminal detail he was recognizing and get some sleep, but it prodded at his conscious until he gave it notice. One; it was cold. _Very_ cold. Wasn't it still Summer? Sonic knew that couldn't be true- he was shivering like crazy. He wished he had grabbed a blanket earlier, but he could put up with it for now. Two; It was quiet. No suppressed moaning of the nightmare troubled slaves, no strange beast-summoned growls from outside, no chattering night sparrows. The only sounds were the hushed whistle of the wind, and the occasional owl.

Sonic slowly put these facts together in his mind, and discovered...

It must be fall! He allowed a grin to come across his face. He was getting closer to winter- when he might see Amy. ...Amy, the one person Sonic would eagerly do three times the work he had now to see.

Fall could bring good and bad things. On one hand- planting season seemed farther away than ever. This meant less work- and that was always good news. However, this would also mean that harvesting would start. Sonic wasn't a total idiot, he knew about agriculture; you planted in the spring and harvested in fall. That's just how it worked.

However he had little experience with it himself and didn't know if collecting would be any more or less work that the planting and plowing and other tasks were. He hoped that it would mean less work, for if it did then not only would it dull the knife-edge of strain but give him more time to pull himself together. He had often wondered whether he was holding up okay. Sonic wanted to stay as physically and mentally healthy as possible, in order to enjoy days that he hoped to spend as a free hedgehog.

He had again wondered how he let this happen to him. Why _couldn't_ he break free? There were many times when it should have been possible, but every time he was beaten back and reintroduced to the chains and corporal punishment that had ruled his life for a matter of months now. Sonic shuddered. His hate for chains almost paralleled his hate for water or the sight of blood. They were a rare sight on Mobius. But never before in his life had he expected that chains would actually be put on his hands at a regular schedule. The first time that chains had been used in such a manner was nearly five months ago, recently after he had been captured. He, Amy and the other slaves had been brought to a quick examination center. Of course Sonic hadn't known what it was then, but now he understood.

It was there that his speed, and Amy's strength, had been discovered. And immediately afterward they were purchased by one of the fifteen huge farms/industrial camps of the world, responsible for together producing half of the world's food and supplies.

Sonic would have kept thinking, when suddenly the door opened, at which he and a great quantity of other slaves snapped to attention as light flooded hall 53. A solitary figure stood in the now open doorway, wielding the all-too-common tools, used to quite literally beat your defiance from you: a whip and a club.

"Morning shifts begin!"

* * *

Morning shifts passed uneventfully. Apparently the corn, soy and wheat needed no tending and would not be collected for a few weeks, so their work would be solely constructional for today, as Sonic overheard the overseers say during repairs on halls 29, 34 and 16. He took the peaceful- or as peaceful as slave work could be- day to think, plan escape, and remember Amy. If he forgot her, he would quite literally have nothing left.

Mid-morning break came and went, and the repairs were finished.

* * *

The fourth whistle of the day sounded, and Sonic actually found himself relieved, because it meant lunch. But he immediately kicked himself for even daring to feel happy. If he dared feel happy in this hellhole, it would mean that he was growing accustomed to it- enjoying it. The very idea made him sick to his stomach.

He walked into the dining hall, designated as hall 6, one of the ten non-residential halls. The others, halls 1-3, were storage, 4, 5, & 6 were eating halls, and the remaining 3 were staff lounges/homes. Halls 8, 9 & 10 were rumored to be filled with cozy furniture, heat, food... well, it was a house, what do you expect? But at the same time, after five months of bare wooden floors it sounded like heaven to Sonic.

Hall 6 was disturbingly familiar to a long, fairly narrow school cafeteria- with peeling painted walls, scuffed floors, a rotting ceiling and no ventilation. Actually, that's what Sonic assumed the holes in the roof were for, but he couldn't be sure. The dimensions of the room were that of a golden rectangle- width roughly onehalf of the height, height roughlytwo times that of the width, and visa-versa. But every square inch of it carried an awful sense of dread, oppression and the scents of sweat, tears and blood.

Blood.

Sonic hated blood. Ever since he was a child, the mere sight of it would make him sick. He had never known why. That was one of the reasons he fought robots only- not people. That's why he never wanted to touch a knife or gun in his life. He was afraid of the horrible crimson liquid that screamed predictions of death to whoever bothered to look.

He solemnly went to obtain his rations for the next 18 hours, (they didn't serve dinner anymore.) and moved to sit down on one of the tables. The tables had replaced dinner a few weeks ago, and Sonic actually hadn't felt that strongly about it. It was either that he wasn't allowed to feel strongly about anything anymore, and had grown into the habit (Sonic begged it not to be so.) or that going to bed hungry wasn't as bad as having to eat off the floor. Besides, from what he heard dinner would be back in two weeks. He could wait that long for some tables. Beds would be nice too, but he decided not to get his hopes up. Doing so might drive one crazy, and Sonic was bent on keeping his sanity for the days of freedom that he begged were awaiting him.

The slaves sat either in groups, or alone, like Sonic was right now. Socializing was not against the rules at lunch or in the first few minutes back in hall 53, but Sonic didn't have anyone to talk to, if there _was_ anyone here who spoke English. (Besides the slave drivers, who spoke nearly three languages each, including one that none of the slaves knew or were allowed to know.) Besides, Sonic was too ashamed to talk to them. He knew that none of them recognized him as Sonic the Hedgehog, but still- after all those years of fighting slavery, he was embarrassed and ashamed to be caught in its grasp so easily.

He prodded amongst the stale bread and soup-like substance next to it, quietly taking a few bites and absorbing himself in thought.

He wished he could be with Amy right now, but she was in another building. They didn't separate males and females during lunch or work, but she was in a different division. She was probably in hall five or four. He missed her. If she were here, he wouldn't feel so awful. Maybe he'd be happy if Amy was here for him to talk to.

Again the feeling of guilt for being happy struck him, and he metaphorically kicked himself over it, oblivious when a young red fox sat down on the same table as the blue hedgehog, staring at him for quite a while before speaking up, and startling him in the process.

"You're Sonic." Said the fox next to him. Caught unawares and alerted, Sonic's ears perked upright and he snapped to the attention of the voice. Sonic gaped, and quietly stammered:

"H-how did you...?" He began, awestruck. The fox laughed, although it far too darkly for his age, (he looked quite young) and took a bite of his meager lunch.

"Oh, come on. Who _doesn't_ know you?" He argued, taking a hearty bite of the stale bread, and to Sonic's horror- enjoying it. But then again you could get used to almost anything.

Sonic was taken back. Of course. He had been famous. He was a hero. _How could he have forgotten?_ Sonic begged that his past was not being beaten out of him, and quickly replied to the young fox's surprise.

"I- I'm sorry. Yes, I... " The blue hedgehog sighed. He had nothing to say to the fox. Why was that? Sonic always had something to say to the people at Mobius. After he had saved some orphans from a fire or just had a charity named after him or something like that- he had always had something valiant to say. Come to think of it, If Sonic were at home, he would probably be graciously giving the fox his autograph right now. Sonic sighed, and the realization shook him terribly. Had the mere experience of slavery truly beaten his life out of him? Or was it just the circumstances? Sonic begged it to be the latter.

"I used to be mad at you." The fox said, poking around his lunch with disinterest. Broken from his thoughts, Sonic once again quickly looked up from his half-eaten 'meal'. Again with no words in his mouth, he stared, ashamed and speechless at the fox, fearing he knew what was coming next. "I used to ask my mom- 'Why isn't Sonic coming to save us'?"

Sonic winced at the words, and felt like crying. All this time in slavery- he had wanted someone to save _him_. Even during his time spent on Mobius, he had always been curious- how did it feel to be saved? To be held? To be _rescued?_ It had been his deepest fear that one day there would be something he could not defeat and there would be no one to rescue him. And now his fear was a reality, and he was helpless, the curiosity growing to obsession. He wanted to be saved. He wanted Amy to save him. It had never occurred to him that someone would think he would be able to save him or her. After all, how could he? They had sophisticated weapons- Sonic didn't understand how they worked but he never could escape their firing range nor their pain. And the border around the plantation was impenetrable- he had tried.

_Then why did he expect Amy to have any better luck?_

The fox again began to speak, and Sonic listened intently.

"But then I realized- you're strong, but you're not immortal. You couldn't do any more than we could. If you could have- we wouldn't be here. I realized that you weren't as special as you made yourself out to be. Just a lucky jerk with a good heart." The fox laughed, expecting his joke to be a riot with the blue hedgehog. Sonic merely starred solemnly at his food. The fox shrugged. "I'm actually not mad at you. Or anyone. It's not their fault. They don't know. I'm glad they don't- they'd probably come here and get themselves killed. I'm glad they're happy, where they are. Even if I can't be there with them." The fox said. He had cleared his plate, and was now standing up to put it on the stack of dirty dishes. Sonic paused. Glad? That was a word rarely used by a slave.

"No one else blames you either, Sonic. And we're sorry- you must feel even worse than we do."

The fox left, and Sonic found himself once again alone, with his lunch, which he hadn't even touched since the fox began talking. He was starving, but found that he could not drive himself to eat. What had happened to him? What had this slavery done to him?

Feeling sick, he threw his half-eaten lunch away, left the tray on the table and stormed to the corner of the eating hall, sitting down to weep.

* * *

After drying his tears and returning to the fields of labor, Sonic found himself working on the construction of hall 55, pushing and pulling stones, wood and other supplies to the sight of construction, while older, more educated salves put them together. The strain made his muscles ache and his breathing grow ragged- he doubted he would ever be able to move his shoulders again after this. Not to mention his legs- it seemed like they were all one big bruise. And yet no matter how hard he pulled or how fast he moved the next cart of stones, the piles never seemed to get any smaller and the time passed slower than ever. He wasn't sure how long he could do this! It hurt! He looked around as he picked up his next load, flinching at the excruciating pain when even more pressure was applied to his already exhausted limbs. And it was still five hours until nightfall!

The unfinished hall stood before him, it's tall and bare wooden planks jutting from the ground, like bones of some anciently deceased monster. As he thought about it, carrying the heavy stones, he realized it was true. The way the ropes draped across the wooden planks could represent the remaining bits of flesh of an anonymous carcass, while the slaves scurrying around it were like scavanger beetles. And the stone walls, bordered with wood and insulated by straw, were quite sufficient for a still-intact rib cage.

Burrowing himself in this temporary distraction from his horrible life, he accidentally bumped into another slave, at which he tripped over, falling into the moist dirt. The stone he was carrying fell on his hand, at which he cried out and drew it back, pushing the rock away. He sighed to find it was not broken, but it did hurt and felt rather stiff as he tried to move it around. At first he shrunk away from the block of stone, but a loud voice came from his right. Sonic flinched, knowing what was coming next. He had messed up, and now they would punish him.

Once again the familiar slash of pain laced across his arm and stomach, and he was thrown to the ground at the blow. Sonic cried out, even if he had been expecting the injury, and backed away as the overseer reached out and grabbed a hold of him. The slave driver was terribly overweight, and his thick hands clamped around Sonic's neck, dragging him to his feet. Sonic at first expected him to let go, drop him to the ground and command that he kept working, but he did not let go. The overseer's fingers tightened threateningly around Sonic's neck, cutting off his air supply. At first Sonic considered holding still- if he took the abuse then he would eventually be left alone. Live another day. But he didn't let go, and it was no longer possible to breathe. Sonic panicked, and struggled, clawing at the slave driver's grubby fingers and trying to lash out at his captor. As the overseer of labor continued to tighten his grip, Sonic swung a foot expertly from its place on the ground and into his enemies' stomach, causing him to cry out and drop Sonic to the ground.

Sonic's eyes widened as he saw what he had done. Shocked, he backed away slowly as the overseer lay, moaning, on the ground.

...He knew what this meant. Even if he managed to get this man to leave him alone, he would still be caught, and then punished by someone else. But he just couldn't take it anymore. The guard quickly stood upright, and lunged, grasping Sonic and punching him hard in the stomach before the hedgehog could react. Recoiling in pain, Sonic barely managed to pull away and roll out of reach, launching back in a spin-dash as his assailant attempted to strike him again. Sonic would have succeeded, had not he been smacked aside with one of the stun-clubs. He cried out as the bolts of electricity jolted up and down his body, and struggled upright, putting additional and unwanted stress on his nearly deteriorated limbs. He knew he should stop. He knew he should sit down, like a good little slave, and take his punishment. But this person was _insane!_ He would kill Sonic if he didn't fight back! What was he to do? Sonic dodged his next attack, and took out the fat man's legs. This knocked him unconscious, as he fell headfirst onto a rock.

But all the same, no matter what Sonic could do- even if the guy deserved it, this would not serve his well being. He knew what was going to happen next. They would come for him. They would punish him. Sonic panicked. He could run away, but for what? To be cornered against the wall and given twice the beating he was already due for? Or he could slip into the crowd, and pray that they couldn't pick him out. Or he could just sit here and get what was coming to him.

He stopped contemplating it when he heard the shouts of the guards running towards him, their weapons drawn. He stared at them for a moment. He knew exactly what was going to happen. He would fight them. They would win. They would beat him into submission and then punish him for his disobedience. But they would not kill him. He was too valuable an asset, what with his speed. But they surely could make him wish he were dead.

He jumped to the right and attempted to land a punch, but he was forcefully grabbed by his arm while two other guards fought to pin him down. He struggled against them, but it gained nothing as his attacks missed and more and more guards pinned him down. It did not take long until he could no longer move, and was being beaten back and forth by a selection of security guards. After a particularly powerful blow to the side, Sonic lay sprawled on the ground, tears of pain stinging at his eyes. It was too much. Why didn't he just stop? Pain and nausea pulsed through his body, and Sonic realized the stress was _just too much_. After another blow to the back, Sonic rolled onto his stomach and attempted to stand up, only to vomit his lunch onto the dirt and collapse on his side.

He looked up at the gray sky, awaiting more abuse, when he heard solitary footsteps approaching him. Sonic stiffened, but dare not roll over to see who was standing over him. This new person shouted something in a language unfamiliar to him, and then he found himself being pulled, (and not gently, for that matter) upright, so he could look this person in the eye.

Their face was aged with cruelty and wrinkles, and their mouth seemed to be fixed in a permanent scowl. Sonic shuddered at the sight of this person- they appeared to be terribly frightful. This apparently sophisticated slave driver at first talked with the others for a moment, but then turned to Sonic, bent down, and looked the blue hedgehog in the eye. Unsure of his intentions, Sonic tried to squirm away, but the grip on his arms was far too firm. The officer looked to the mark on Sonic's shoulder, and then stood upright.

The mark. Sonic had forgotten about the mark. It had been _branded_, can you believe it, onto his shoulder after he had been caught. It told what language he spoke and if he carried any diseases. 'E 0' English, Zero hereditary illnesses.

"Your punishment has been decided. Forty lashes." The officer concluded, turning to leave immediately afterward.

Sonic's eyes widened. _Forty? _The most he had ever gotten at once was twenty, and at the end he had been screaming. His entire body shuddered at the mere idea of forty. At first he thought the officer had been joking- but when his captors began dragging him towards the open area, next to the unfinished hall, he realized that he was dead serious. Sonic struggled, and attempted to get away, but it was no use. He was exhausted from the work he had done all morning- and after the fight, all his energy had been spent. He had nothing left, in every meaning of the phrase. Emotionally, physically, mentally, he was spent. He had gone through enough, right?

Apparently not.

He didn't dare resist as they tied him to a wooden post, which would hold him still during the 'discipline', as they dubbed it. Sonic scoffed. This was not discipline. This was torture. This was hate. This was all wrong.

For a long time there was nothing but silence, and Sonic took the opportunity to think.

This would hurt- a lot- ...but he could take it, couldn't he? He was Sonic the Hedgehog. He would not give them the satisfaction of seeing him cry. He swore to himself- no matter how much it hurt, he would not cry. He would not scream. As he thought this over, a disturbing thought crossed his mind. So what if he did? Would anyone blame him? Would he prove anything? No! No! So what? He realized; it didn't matter how tough he was or how fast he could run. As a matter of fact, the weak had it better off. No matter what he did- he was stuck here.

Sonic found himself crying even before his punishment began.

The first slice of pain struck into his skin, and he just barely bit back a cry of pain. Then the second came, then the third. Sonic whimpered, knowing this was just the beginning. Four. Then Five. It _hurt!_ The pain seemed to double at every blow! By eight, he gave shouts of agony at every strike. He was loosing it- the pain, the misery, the realization of being completely powerless- it was too much! Eleven. Twelve. When would it end...?

The hedgehog screamed, and not because of the pain. He finally realized something. He would never get out. No matter what he did, escape was beyond his power. And here he was, helpless. He _hated_ being helpless, with a passion. _Nineteen. Twenty. Halfway there._ He told himself, although it did not dull the pain or make the nightmare any easier to bear. _Twenty-two. Twenty-Three. Twenty-Four. _

Why?

_Twenty-Five._

He wanted out. He wanted to leave- but how was he going to do that, exactly? He was no miracle worker and he sure as hell wasn't a hero anymore. So what was there left for him to be? Other than a liberty and love-starved slave? He managed a sigh between screams- for the pain was unbearable now- and shuddered.

_Thirty-two_.

_Almost there_. He told himself. But that didn't help. Eight more was still eight more. And now screams and tears accompanied every slice of pain. He had to get his mind off the pain. But what was there to think of?

_Thirty-Three._

_Thirty-Four._

Amy. There was always Amy. And the best part was that he knew she was alive, and that she was out there somewhere. That she still loved him- It felt terribly good, to be loved. Sonic had never respected it before but love was a very useful thing in a cold place like this. He buried himself in memories of times spent in her arms. There- he felt better already.

_Thirty-Six._

Four more. He could take it.

_Thirty-Seven._

He would live. Live to suffer another day. How comforting was that?

_Thirty-Eight._

It seems that that was his life now. Suffering, and for what? To feed his enslavers and fuel his own misery?

_Thirty-nine._

...He just wanted it to stop.

_Forty_.

He was allowed to drop to the ground, where he nearly sobbed his eyes out. The hedgehog's entire body was wracked with excruciating pain- both physical and emotional, and he would have lain there for hours had not he been dragged to his feet. At first, he expected another beating, but apparently they saw him to be miserable enough and allowed him to return to work. Sonic knew that with his now harshly stinging- and bleeding- back, it would be more painful then ever to carry the stones and wood. But hey-

What was he supposed to do about it?

That night, the construction of hall 55 was finished- the last project of fall. For many slaves, this was good news, as tomorrow meant they were moving to the mines (where there were supposedly better conditions). But Sonic heard none of this news- he was far too busy sobbing himself to sleep.

* * *

Well, that is all for today. I'm glad that the story wasn't going in as fulfiled circles as I thought it was, but next chapter, the plot starts to heat up! The purpose of these chapters were to introduce you to what Sonic has to put up with. It's awful, no?

Anyway, although I _basically_ have the plot atleast _somewhat_ figured out, I could **REALLY USE SUGGESTIONS! **Not that I don't know what I'm doing or anything- no, no, that's silly, of course I know exactly what I'm doing- why would you ask such a thing, you're crazy! Go away!

...Yeah, I'm stumped.


	3. Whoo, teh sukiest chapter evah!

Hello! I'm sorry I haven't updated in so long, but it was taking be a while to get this scene down. I just needed a break. I feel terrible for letting 'Fear' my other story, die like this, but I'm pretty sure that little story is going down the drain, unless of course someone would be willing to write chapter 13 and save it. Cause I've tried and tried again, and it is not budging, people...

Anyway, I'm far too lazy to respond to reviews, but understand that I love you all! Hugs for all who reviewed chapter two!

Chapter four of "My Life Sucks, The Musical" is also on its way! And look out for the _sequel_ of '10,000 miles' later this spring! Tune in next chapter for a sneak preview!

* * *

Sonic had woken up in the middle of the night due to the pain, and had been unable to fall back asleep since. So now he lay on his stomach (lying on his back caused too much pain) and starred into the wooden wall, trying not to cry. It was just that he was unable to shake the feeling of being helpless. He was still debating on whether he should just accept his fate, or bury himself in an illusion, (and possibly go insane) to try and make himself feel better. But Sonic was now unable to hide himself from the ominous conclusion that there was no escape from this horrible lifestyle. The blue hedgehog shuddered at the thought. It was terribly frightening, to think that his life was beyond his control. Back home, Sonic had always been the boss, and had always been able to make the big decisions. There, he had been a significant and important member of society. But here... he was just fifteen hours of labor. He could drop dead this very second and no one would care.

Sonic shook his head- that was a lie. Amy cared about him, and so did his friends back home. But that didn't do him much good. He wanted out, but there was no way out. And even if he did get back home, how would things work for him them, after all this time, in which his friends probably thought he was dead? And what about the others stuck in this awful place, like the red fox he had met at lunch and the young couple that had been dragged apart, just for trying to save each other...

His 'hero' side just screamed to help them, but there was nothing he could do. That made him feel even worse.

What exactly was his life going to be like now, he wondered? Sonic scoffed. Probably like the first five months before it. Painful, dark and oppressed. He moaned quietly, and rested his head on the ground. At first he began to relax, but then his mind wandered once again to Amy. He shouldn't think of her so much, for he might just drive himself into madness with how lonely he was. What he should do is try and befriend someone, but Sonic was far too ashamed. So Sonic let his mind wander into memories of Amy's arms.

He remembered the time spent in the 'market', waiting to be bought.

- Warning, emotional flashback ahead. Have popcorn handy. -

Sonic sat, miserable, on the ground of the crowded, dusty streets. Due to this culture's last chance at preservation of their planet, buildings could no longer be made out of wood or iron, as the production of these were far too costly to the environment. Buildings were now made by clay, stone, and brick, which made the entire area look not unlike a third-world country's vegetable market. Produce, meat, and animal stalls (large ones owned by the nearby farms) bordered the long walkway, but past some of the taller buildings and underneath the fading, orange daylight, sat the slave market. And just as luck would have it, Sonic & Amy were the prize pieces.

Many farmers had come throughout the day to prod and inspect them: to see if they were indeed the healthy and fit specimens they were advertised to be. None had found any glaring faults in either of them, but hadn't the money nor the requirement for more slaves.

From what Sonic had heard, being taken to a small farm was a much more enjoyable experience than working for one of the 'fifteen wonders' as they were called. Sonic scoffed lightly, stirring up the dust that floated in the air before him. There was nothing wonderful about it. It was cold, dark and heartless. But apparently, in the smaller farms, there were actually some people that believed in fair treatment to the furries. It was hard to believe such a thing, what the way these people treated him, that any of the people of this world could be against what their very kin did to him day after day.

He had sat there, in Amy's arms, trying to sleep as she gently ruffled the quills on his back. The sensation usually had an extremely sedative effect on the hedgehog, but as of late, it wasn't working.

"I hate them." He frowned, glaring at the civilians that walked pass them. They thought of Sonic and Amy as nothing but slaves and that infuriated the blue hedgehog beyond words. Amy sighed and patiently stroked his quills, although it was a bit awkward due to the chains that tied all of the advertised slaves to a huge brick wall, to prevent escape. Other factors helped with that goal: mainly the small electric fence and many guards.

"The civilians didn't do this to us, Sonic..." She said. Afterwards, Amy motioned towards the slave driver, whip in hand, who stood menacingly over the slaves. "_They_ did. We can't judge the civilians, or at least not yet." She said.

"And why is that?" He argued, sitting up and pulling out of her embrace. "After all, they're getting by because of what they're doing to us. We don't owe them anything." He returned to his glares, but it cost him dearly as a passing overseer quickly struck him with one of the clubs. It wasn't a very forceful blow, and didn't do much damage, but that didn't stop it from hurting or Sonic from crawling back into Amy's arms. Burying his face, hot with rage, into Amy's fur, and trying to drive back the small tears of frustration, he clung to her fiercely. He wouldn't cry, no- he couldn't. Or at least not anymore. The guards would see it as a sign of weakness. He was Sonic the hedgehog: and heroes didn't cry. Not even if they were turned into slaves. So he had vowed not to allow himself to cry another tear since he and Amy were caught.

But it was getting hard to do. He wanted and expected to be able to burst away from his captors and escape, to overpower them as he had done with Eggman so many times. Already thrice Sonic had tried, failed, and been beaten, afterwards threatened with separation from the other slaves, including Amy. It was then, for the first time, that Sonic had felt truly helpless. Not even when he had been too sick to stand had he felt so powerless, and he hated the feeling beyond measure. He wanted to be strong- to be independent- to be free; but that had all been taken away from him and there was nothing he or Amy could do about it!

Before Sonic could help himself, a few stray tears began to fall from his cheeks. Remembering the promise he had made to himself, he had tried to hide them and brush them away before Amy caught sight of them, but it was already too late.

"Oh, Sonic... " she cooed comfortingly, although their situation made her voice as downcast as Sonic's. "...Sonikku, don't cry, ...come on, you're stronger than this... you'll pull through, don't cry... "

A wave of fear pulsed through Sonic, and he reacted before he could think it over.

"No!" He shouted back to her, tearing his face from her shoulder and pulling out of her arms. Amy sat there, confused; her arms wide open in invitation. Sonic shook his head, and backed away. "Don't say that! Don't say I shouldn't cry! Amy, I have to! I- I need to!" He let his gaze fall to the floor, ashamed. "...I- ...I need to cry, okay? I admit it." He paused to rub away a tear. "I'm sorry I can't be stronger, but- ...but Amy, I... I have to." His voice sunk to a whisper. "It's just too much! Please, hold me... please understand. It's too much, and... I have to cry."

For a few seconds the only sounds were the bustling activity of the market, and the quiet, observant murmurs of the surrounding slaves, and Sonic wondered if Amy had even heard him.

His doubts were blown away when Amy seized him in her arms and kissed him, nearly crushing the young hedgehog with her tight but pleasurable embrace. Sonic was at first surprised, for he didn't understand, and shudders of ecstasy from the kiss still rippled down his spine, dulling his thoughts. He began to relax as his anxiety melted away, when met with Amy's affection. Sonic never did figure how she did that; tranquilize and dominate him so easily. But that didn't matter to him- Amy had him, and wouldn't let him go, and therefore he was safe.

So, after Amy ended the kiss, he allowed himself to break down and cry, like he had needed to for so long. He clutched at her with weakened and shaky arms, too hysteric with sorrow to focus. So he just sobbed, realizing his freedom, his life, and his will had been taken away from him, and so easily... Amy cried as well, but tried to keep a strong front, so Sonic could feel safe. She hugged him securely for a moment, but then gently pried him from her arms, and looked him in the eye.

"Sonikku... " she muttered, wiping away his tears and rubbing some dirt off of his cheek. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... You're right. I should never have said that."

Sonic found himself once again being pulled into her arms.

"What I meant was... I don't want you to be sad. I just didn't realize it hurt that much... and I feel terrible for not realizing." Amy carefully ruffled his quills, trying to cheer him up. "Will you ever forgive me?"

The blue hedgehog sniffled and rubbed away the last of his tears, and looked up at her.

"Yeah... "

The two hadn't cried at all for the entire rest of the day. Not because they tried not to, but because they didn't need to. Sonic decided that he didn't have a reason to cry when he had a friend near.

-The emotional flashback is now over. -

After a while, he dug himself back out of the memories, and sat up, although it was rather painful. Immediately afterward, he noiselessly yawned, stretched, and leaned gingerly against the wood, trying not to aggravate his sore and scarred back. True, in a matter of weeks fur would grow over them, and the scars would become invisible, but that did not stop them from hurting in the present time.

He began to drift off into sleep, but before he could close his eyes, and all too familiar thud sounded- the door swung open once again, flooding hall53 with dim, morning light. Afterwards, a booming voice sounded out in the three major languages the all to common phrase.

"Morning shifts begin!"

* * *

Mobians, Hedgehogs especially, were highly prized as slaves for three reasons. One; fast reproduction, with three months rather than nine months of pregnancy. This was due to a combination of the species size, (4- 4 1/2 feet) and metabolism, as you will read about later. As disturbing and horrorific as it sounds, due to the shortage in discovery of new colonies, the slaves were now being bred and sold as a major industry. Two; a strong metabolism, able of turning food into energy efficiently and quickly, so they could go longer on less. Theoretically this should mean their bodies required more food, fiber especially, but the farm managed to get around that problem with appetite suppressants served in the lunch food. They could get bye on what they were fed. And Three; Their long life span, and the amount of time in that life span they would be able to work. Executing elderly slaves usually wasn't a problem- they often died a year or two behind the deadline anyway. _Deadline_ had become more literal then ever, and in the worst sense.

Sounds just peachy, eh?

* * *

Sonic trudged half-heartedly down the muddy path, wet with last night's heavy rain. His feet felt like they would freeze off, for the thin and hole-filled boots that the farm distributed for muddy days like this no longer worked after years of wear. Every time he took a step it was into a boot full of ice cold mud. Very pleasant indeed. His fingers were cold too, and he could no longer feel his ears, but the combination of all the prementioned horrors were promptly overshadowed by what lay ahead; work. He trudged down the road with a large group of slaves, probably off to some form of construction sight where tyranny and pain awaited. He sighed, and shook his head, water droplets flying everywhere. It was raining slightly, and although it overall added to his misery, it still gave some comfort to his sore back.

He kept walking, when he heard some whispers of a group of slaves off to his left. His curiosity bugged him, but he tried to ignore it, not wanting to join in their punishment for socializing during work hours. However, this proved difficult. It's not like there was anything else interesting on the long, muddy road, lined on either side with fields or fences. He looked off to the horizon, gazing longingly at 'the wall'.

The wall was a 16-mile long, 20foot tall wall of wood and bricks- (wood was allowed as a building material on the farms, since they grew their own trees) And protected by a high-tech barrier, capable of hammering the equivalent of a lightning bolt into your skull. Or at least that's what it had felt like to Sonic after he had attempted to break through the 'force-field'. In case you've paid little attention, Sonic's attempts bore little fruit other than a bad headache and broken spirits.

Inside the wall, the farm was split up into four stations. To the northwest was the mining, where gems were found. The world had little use for metals today, but gems could be used as a unique power source. I'm not a physics expert and don't claim to be, but the unique structure of gems made them available to newly discovered methods solar power. Gems were used a certain way to make the light more focused, so that energy could be more efficiently gathered. Sonic didn't know much about it, though, and didn't plan to do any research. South of the mining were the energy plants, where solar and wind energy was gathered. This fueled the heated homes of the staff and the kitchens. About one tenth of the entire farm was buildings, like Hall53 and the other places this story has taken place. But the remaining land was fields and fields of rice, soy, corn, trees, tomatoes, grain, and thousands of strange bio-engineered foods that Sonic could not pronounce.

Thinking this over, he again heard the escalated whispers of the slaves next to him. Again he tried to tune them out, but he couldn't help overhearing.

"I can't believe we're going to the mines already. This summer went by fast." Said one slave, a light brown lynx with large paws. He had no boots- probably because they wouldn't fit his large and well-adapted feet. He didn't sink in the mud like the slaves around him. The person next to him, a musky green lemur, nodded.

"I'm not looking forward to it at all. Rain, snow, cold... and the mines aren't a pick nick themselves."

Sonic nearly stopped in his steps, confused. Mines? They were going to the mines? At first he panicked- the very idea of dark, dirty, and cramped spaces sent shivers up his spine. He could just picture himself coughing, unable to see or move, and stuck in the dark. But then he remembered- _Amy_. Amy worked at the mines. He _prayed as hard as he could_ to whoever may be listening that she would be there. He **needed** her!

"Yeah, I know, but during winter we get a two-day break for that religious holiday the overseers talk about." The lynx mentioned. The lemur nodded, agreeing.

"Well, you have a point. It is the only time we ever get a break."

Sonic at first considered adding to the conversation, but decided against it. The only thing he could have done was ask about what he was to expect in the mines, and a part of Sonic already knew. He remembered some movies he had watched back home, about the lives of coal miners in small towns. He pictured it being in the same miserable, insufficient circumstances to the power of ten, after you added the factors of slavery. It was like some form of twisted algebraic expression, who's only purpose was to beat the hope out of you and afterwards eat it for dinner. (Do you ever feel that way about your homework?)

Once again he was stirred from his thoughts as the group of slaves stopped at the crossroads. For the past five months, the group had turned left, or gone straight ahead. But now, the group turned right, and started the lengthy walk to the black, silhouetted hill that was the mines. Sonic shuddered at the sight of them, but allowed himself one ray of hope; Amy was there, or at least he hoped so.

It would be a long day.

* * *

A few hours later, Sonic discovered something very important. The lynx was wrong. Very wrong. The mines were _awful_.

Dirt combined with the moist air and his own sweat to form a strange, clumpy clay that stuck to your skin like oil and at the same time concealed all sharp pointy rocks from your vision. Which meant you stepped on them, and had your foot ache for the next two hours. It's not pleasurable for anything to ache- especially if you're standing on it all day.

The tools that had been distributed to the slaves- pick axes, shovels, and buckets in which to carry and contain discovered ores- were heavy, but they did their job. But Sonic's body wasn't built for this kind of work. His strength lied in aerobic exercise- running, stamina and endurance. But this kind of work wasn't aerobic at all. And so he got exhausted far more quickly.

But that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was the fact that the lighting was terrible. He could be digging past mountains of ore and be unable to tell. Twice he had accidentally hit his own foot instead of the wall of rock in front of him, and the cramped space didn't help. Sonic sighed, knowing that at least the 'discipline' wasn't so severe.

Sonic began to understand why the Lynx had thought that the mines were a better place. Because of the poor lighting and cramped conditions, the slaver drivers were less prone to punishing you. Sonic hadn't been hit all day, which left him quite surprised. Every time he had fumbled or made a mistake, it had gone unnoticed. He groaned. The lynx was still wrong, despite these facts. Sonic already hated the mines, and didn't plan on changing his opinion any time soon, for a number of reasons.

However, the work was becoming a bit easier. After Sonic got used to the feel of the pickaxe, it was easier to swing. But this work did make him hungry, at least hungry than he ever had gotten in the fields. This was probably due to the anaerobic nature of the labor.

Sonic attempted to swing the axe down into the rock, but as it connected with the hard stone, a strange clang was heard and something that glittered in the light fell to the ground. Surprised, he hurriedly picked it up, fascinated by it's sheen. The small rock was only about the size of his thumbnail, but its surface was far more reflective than the dirty rocks of the mine. Although colored in dirt, it seemed to be fairly translucent. It was quite beautiful.

Before he could examine it any more, he was caught by surprise by a swift blow to the back of the head. Startled, he fell over, quickly turning to look at his attacker. One of the slave drivers stood over him, raising a club threateningly. The man took a look at the mark on Sonic's shoulder, then barked fiercely:

"Don't waste time! Put that diamond in the crate with the others!" He snapped, turning to walk away.

Sonic sat there, dumfounded, before springing to his feet, and looking at the small rock in his hand. So it was a diamond? It sure didn't look like one. It was pretty, but not that pretty. He shrugged, and walked to the crate, a few feet away from the working slaves, and dropped it amongst almost identical rocks. As he did this, he remembered something Rouge had old him about gems.

"You wouldn't know a gem mine if you saw one. In their rough stage, Gems look about as pretty as muddy quarts. It's after they're cut and shined that they obtain that gorgeous gleam."

He let a small murmur of discovery pass through his lips. Of course, these were gems in their rough stage. He spared a second to gaze down at them. They may look kind of crummy now, but who could imagine that something could appear so beautiful with just a little effort? He turned back to work, wondering how many cases there were in which this was also true. As he swung the pick against the rock once more, a few scenarios came to mind. A painting, for one; it started out as nothing and with just four or five hours on a summer day it became beauty! As a matter of fact, all forms of art worked in the same way. Not that Sonic thought about it, everything became better the more effort was put into it!

He sighed sadly. No, that couldn't be true. If it was, then how come he put so much effort into his work as a slave and was still so miserable? He wondered why this scenario broke the standards of almost every other thing in the world. It was quite depressing.

Catching him off guard, the first whistle of the day sounded, and Sonic allowed himself to sigh in relief- he'd get a few minutes of rest. He rested the pickaxe against the wall of stone next to him, and quietly took the time to observe his surroundings.

The entire surface of the inside of the cave was black. Whether this was the actual color of the rocks, or just a factor of the poor lighting, was not clear to Sonic. He saw the bins of diamonds and ores in their rough stage, and wondered how much it would all be worth back home. Probably a small fortune, he thought to himself. As he continued to look around, he noticed another group of slaves working in a nearby tunnel. He wondered why they weren't taking a break.

They were mostly females, and they didn't seem to be half as exhausted as the Mobians working on Sonic's tunnel. After a few moments of contemplation, Sonic discovered what was going on.

They were the stronger slaves, trained for this kind of work. They had been in the mines all year round. How awful! ...Staring at them, he remembered... Amy did that kind of work! The odds were that she was over there!

Due to the crowding of the slaves, he couldn't see whether or not Amy was there. He stood up, trying to get a better view. If the fates were cruel- then she wouldn't be there, and he was wasting his time. But he couldn't help himself from wondering. He stood there for a few minutes, loosing hope, when suddenly a harsh voice came from his right.

"What are you doing? Either save your energy or get back to work- no socializing!" Snapped the guard. Sonic restrained a glare and began to sit down, when suddenly; he saw a flash of pink over in the direction of the female slaves. Shocked, he leapt to his feet. There it was again! Was it Amy? ...There was only one way to find out.

"I thought I told you to sit down!" Threatened the guard, moving towards Sonic, whip in hand. The blue hedgehog glared: he wasn't about to let that happen again. He considered his options, and took off running in the direction that the flash of pink had gone. The overseer shouted and tried to chase after him, but even in the closed space Sonic could outrun him. He stormed down the tunnels and past resting groups of slaves, until he came to a turn. He stopped for a second, looking down the two tunnels. Which way could Amy of gone? As he again looked to his right, he saw a flash of pink once again, and ran towards it.

If it was Amy, then Sonic could be happy again. He could slip, unnoticed into her group, spend the day (and lunch) with her, and avoid punishment. Sonic needed to see her, desperately. It had been far too long, and he was terrified that he was starting to forget. The first two months without her had nearly driven him crazy- and the three after than were intolerable. Sonic couldn't take it any more; if he couldn't be held and loved by his Amy once again, he wasn't sure what he would do. He just missed her too much.

Sonic ran for quite some time amongst different groups of slaves, until he came to another crossroad, but still hadn't seen any sight of Amy. After noticing that the other two directions went to dead ends, he bolted around to the left one, and following it as it turned right, to find...

...Nothing.

A rock wall stared Sonic in the face, and he skidded to a halt, loosing his footing and falling into the dirt. He tried to push himself to his feet- but his hand slipped on a rock, and he fell back down, getting a face-full of mud. He quickly scrambled to his feet, standing up and looking around. There was no sign of Amy; or anything in any way pink in this narrow space. He turned around, growing progressively hysteric, and hoping to find some sort of explanation. There was none.

He sunk to his knees, staring blankly at the dirt beneath him. He shouldn't have gotten his hopes up. Amy wasn't here- for all he knew she was dead. There was no one here to dry his tears. There was no one here to hold him, or to be held by him, or to save him. He was alone- and for the first time in five months he realized it. It didn't matter what the other slaves thought of him, if Amy still loved him or even remembered him. His life and all aspects of it were no longer his decision. He was a slave, and the reality of it was finally dawning on him.

He could almost feel the hope drain from him as he began to weep, tears rolling down his cheeks and onto the ground below. In his misery, he did not notice the tiny bird, bright pink in color, which perched itself on the ground before him, curiously hopping just outside his field of vision. As the small bird jumped into view, Sonic jumped away, startled. The tiny canary gave a satisfied chirp and hopped closer to the blue hedgehog. Sonic stared down at the avian in complete shock, tears still stinging his eyes.

The bird's feet were a pale gray, in contrast with its small black eyes and shiny beak. It chirped once more, the sound surprisingly loud, and fluttered up to perch on Sonic's head. _Of course_ he thought to himself. _The overseers brought canaries to the mines, to monitor the air quality..._ Sonic gingerly reached up and plucked the bird off his head, annoying it's screeches of disapproval as he cradled it in his palm. So this is what he had thought was Amy. He again let himself drift into despair, and curled against the stone wall to his left, placing the bird back on the ground.

He could hear the shouts of the slave drivers that were looking for him. They sounded close, and he knew it would only be a matter of time before they caught him again. He winced, just thinking about the already swollen wounds on his back. If he got the same kind of punishment again, he didn't expect to live through it. He sighed shakily, tears finding their way back into his eyes. Maybe that was for the best. He ignored the small canary as it harmlessly tugged on his fingers with its tiny beak. Although most bird bites hurt terribly, this canary seemed to have no intention to cause pain. The bird hopped into his upturned palm, and chirped noisily once again. Even if the bird was cute, Sonic was beginning to wish it would keep quiet.

He placed the bird back on the ground, and pulled further against the stone, burrowing his face into his elbow. Once again he could hear the nearing shouts of the slave drivers, and swiveled his ears against his head to block them out. If he was going to be whipped again, he wanted all the time of peace he could get. This didn't work, however, as memories of the pain sliced their way through Sonic's mind and onto his back, making the wounds burn like crazy.

He heard footsteps coming towards him, and stiffened, waiting to be dragged off to some terrible form of punishment. He again allowed a few tears to drop from his eyes, and pulled further away. The footsteps stopped right in front of him, and instead of a harsh blow from a whip or club, fingers gently rested themselves against Sonic's shoulder, gingerly prying him from the stone wall. He did not know why one of the overseers would bother being so gentle. Perhaps they thought he was dead?

What happened next made his heart skip a beat. A voice rang quietly through his ears. A voice that Sonic hadn't heard in a long time.

"Hey, Sonic."

* * *

Well... I do know. I know it's a little crappy, but hey- I promise next chapter will be better. Looking back at it, the entire scene with the mine sucked. I was just in a hurry to get it done- It's been far too long since I've updated.

Well, anyway, I'm sorry the chapter was so short. Next chapter- Sonic escapes! But if so, how? And will he survive life outside the plantation? Will the slaveholders catch him once again? All this and more, inside chapter four! (Golly, that rhymed!)


	4. It's chapter four! Yay!

Fanfiction dot net's window system is dumb. Halfway through major editing I open up astory preview and instead of opening up a new window like any sane website should it had to go be a pain in the ass and come up on the completely seperate window which I was EDITING MY STORY ON. The moderators have serious brain issues. Serious brain issues of being dumb.

Anyway, I updated... I'm too pissed off at the stupid mods of this site to respond to reviews. Maybe I will at the end.

Disclamier- Nope, I don't own Sonic, Amy, Mobius or any other Sega or Sonic Team copyrighted stuph.

* * *

Sonic immediately leapt to his feet and jumped upon her, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist and burrowing his face into her shoulder. He was about to happily shout her name in jubilation, but she quickly clamped her hand over his mouth, muffling his cry of 'Amy!' Surprised, he momentarily pulled back, dragging Amy down with him as the two fell to their knees. He was shocked- he had all of this joy from finally seeing her again, and all of these questions as to how she had found him (he couldn't believe she was standing in front of him as it was) -but she wouldn't let him say anything! For a second he struggled, longing to wrap his arms around her and shout his joy for all to hear. 

The pink hedgehog- although gently and with obvious care- pinned Sonic's arms to his sides and tried to cease his struggling.

"Shhh, shh..." Amy whispered quietly, her hand still clamped over his mouth. She silently gestured towards the tunnels where Sonic had come from, and the blue hedgehog heard the shouts of the guards, understanding. He stopped squirming and fell completely silent, listening to the noises within the tunnel intently. As much as he wanted to celebrate seeing her again- he couldn't. They weren't supposed to be here- and if he drew the guards' attention to them, they would be captured and punished, probably separated for another number of months. As he heard one of the voices grow near, his eyes widened and he looked up to Amy, wordlessly asking what they were going to do if caught. A shadow fell upon the wall to their left, and Sonic knew they were going to be found.

Amy tried to nod reassuringly, but he could tell she was trying to think of something. Sonic was still confused and a little too shocked to think straight, even as Amy stood up and picked up the pickaxe, he merely sat there and stared at the wall. He couldn't believe it. She was here- all of that sorrow and loneliness was gone, just like that! And even though he was well aware of the guard nearing him and the dangers of this situation- he didn't care! The joy was simply too much to overpower.

He did notice Amy's eyes light up as she discovered an idea. She began mining the wall that Sonic and Amy sat bye, just moments before the guard walked into sight.

Now as much as Sonic had thought the joy of having Amy back couldn't be overpowered, he was proven wrong the second he saw that guard's face. That was the guard that had stared down at him and declared he was going to get 40 lashes. The hedgehog's entire body froze stiff, and he starred at the officer in pure terror. Adding to that, he had no idea what Amy was doing, or how it was going to help them escape without punishment.

The officer's gaze hardened. Amy stopped mining and looked over at him- her gaze growing equally shocked. She stood completely rigid as the commander walked up to the two Mobians, staring down his nose at them. His gaze sterned, and he reached for the stun-baton that was hanging in its sheath on his belt. After taking it out, he held it threateningly in the air for a moment, before speaking clearly in that same cold voice:

"What are you doing here? These tunnels were cleared out two hours ago." He said, his eyebrows furrowing in frustration. "And make it quick." He added, turning up the voltage on the stun-baton.

Sonic was stumped; he had no idea what to say! Was there anything to be done to get them out of this? He flinched away, pressing harder into the stone wall behind him.

"We were sent here by one of the overseers." Amy said quickly, before he got a chance to strike Sonic with the baton. The officer's gaze loosened a little, but he still raised an eyebrow.

"Really? Then why isn't that one mining?" He demanded, pointing the stun gun at Sonic. The blue hedgehog's eyes widened and he looked quickly to Amy, hoping she had incorporated that into her plan. For a second she seemed to be at a dead end, when her eyes it up and she replied quickly;

"He injured his foot- that's why he's sitting down." She replied, hoping it would be a sufficient answer. Sonic swallowed nervously- he did have a few cuts and bruises from his fumbles with the pickaxe, but he wasn't sure that the officer would fall for it.

"Now riddle me this- why would an overseer tell you to work unsupervised in an ore-less section of the mountain?" He asked, poking Sonic with the stun bolt. The blue hedgehog gasped as bolts of incredibly painful electricity danced up and down his limbs. He fell to the ground, convulsing, unable to see as Amy tried to restrain herself from leaping onto him, protecting him. Instead She hung her head, trying not to do anything foolish even if her mind screamed to comfort Sonic and kill the officer- the latter she had no power to accomplish. She brushed away a tear for Sonic's sake, and sighed.

"I... maybe we got the directions wrong..." She answered, swallowing what was left of her pride. She looked down at Sonic, who was still twitching in pain. He whimpered slightly before struggling to his knees, staring up at the two with hurt eyes. The officer laughed, and pushed Sonic back down into the mud with his boot. The blue hedgehog quickly glanced up in both anger and pain- but did not move, fearing his life.

"Of course you did. And do you know why?" He asked, putting the stun-baton back into its sheath. Amy focused her gaze to the ground, trying to hide her glare of rage. She allowed herself one glance at Sonic, trying to tell him she would make sure he was going to be okay.

"...No, I don't. Why, sir?" She growled. The officer again laughed, oblivious to the pink hedgehog's fury.

"Because you animals can't do anything right. You would be falling apart if it wasn't for our supervision and guidance. It's just how nature works. You're animals- we're people- you were made to serve us." He elaborated, his face forming a dark grin. "You should be thankful for what we've done. We've given you order and security. Now aren't you thankful for that, hmm?" He asked. Amy sighed shakily due to her rage, still staring at the ground.

"I can't hear you, miner." The officer stated. Amy looked up at him.

"Yes. Extremely thankful." The pink hedgehog forced through clenched teeth.

"Now that's more like it. Forget what that damn overseer told you and get back to your original posts. Bring the other miserable helot with you- and don't think about trying anything funny- I'll be escorting you." The officer scolded, walking down the corridor. Amy glared at him as he left, but immediately sunk next to Sonic and took him up in her arms, giving him a brief squeeze before leaping back to her feet and helping him up. Afterwards, she remembered the story she told him about Sonic's foot, and nearly dropped the hedgehog, turning toward the officer.

"Sir, Sonic's foot-"

"Whose foot?" The officer asked, without turning around. Amy knew by his tone that it was a rhetorical statement, and she stood still, waiting for when he would finish his statement. "Your savage names have no meaning here." He scolded. Amy flinched, feeling like she was about to explode.

"...Sir... His foot... He can't walk on it." She answered. The officer scoffed.

"That's really _your_ problem, now isn't it?" He replied. Amy was silent, but she knew what he meant, and turned to Sonic. The pink hedgehog moved close to him and placed her lips close to his ear.

"Act like I'm carrying you, okay?" She requested, before quickly pulling away and standing beside the blue hedgehog, still in pain from his recent abuse. Careful not to further inure his bruised and broken body, she wrapped an arm gingerly around his waist, helping Sonic take weight off of his 'injured' foot.

The pink canary, sitting forgotten on the stone, chirped after it's new blue friend, and fluttered, unseen, above their heads in the deep tunnel.

* * *

Sonic and Amy followed the officer back to Amy's post, where the slaves there were currently having a break. Amy sat Sonic down farther away from the others, and after going to grab her mining equipment, came to sit by him. 

It was the first time that Sonic had gotten a chance to really look at her since she found him. She looked different, in many ways. For one, the work in the mines had changed her. What used to be a pixyish figure was now thinly corded in muscle- she wasn't as powerful as the other slaves in the mine, due to her short time here, but she was far more strongly built than Sonic remembered. She was also slightly more pale- probably due to the unlit conditions of the tunnels. Also were the factors of dirt and neglect that matted her once fine fur.

Like all the female slaves, she wore a uniform of brown threadbare cloth, a baggy pair of pants and loose T-shirt. It didn't suit her.

Once Amy neared him, she dropped the pickaxe and bucket off to the left, and kneeled down next to Sonic, looking him in the eye. For a second the blue hedgehog didn't know what to think, when suddenly she leapt upon him, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him briefly.

"Sonic... oh, god, Sonic, I... I thought you had..." She sighed, and held him tighter. "I thought I'd never see you again... " She pulled back a little and looked him in the eyes, removing an arm from around him to gently smooth his quills. She smiled, despite the given circumstances and the tears in her eyes, afterwards pulling him back into a hug. "I'm so glad you're okay. I was so worried- having no idea where you were or what was happening to you..."

She again broke the hug, gripping him firmly by the shoulders and looking at him face-to-face.

"Nothing's happened to you, right? You're okay?" She asked. Sonic considered nodding, but he wasn't okay. He remembered the debates he had been having with himself- he was worried about so many things. In all truth- he was _not _fine. He was a slave, and it was tearing him to pieces. Sonic sighed and leaned into Amy, letting her discover for herself as she placed a hand on his back, to feel the wounds beneath his fur... The pink hedgehog sighed shakily, and held him closer. Sonic nearly jumped as he felt tears splash onto his shoulder; but Amy wouldn't let him exit her embrace.

"Sonic," She began, repetitively stroking a hand over his wounds. "I'm so sorry... that I wasn't there for you... " She murmured, embracing him fiercely.

"I missed you too, Amy." Sonic burrowed further into her arms and hugged her in return. He was surprised to once more feel tears fall on his shoulder, and this time pulled away, surprised at her. "Amy," He began, " why are you crying?"

The pink hedgehog looked up at him, and sighed, quickly brushing away her tears.

"I'm sorry, Sonic- It's just that when I saw you running past here, and I went to follow you... oh, I just..." She stopped, and regained her composure. "Sonic... I'd heard that you died. I'd heard that you'd been taken to hall 17. I'd been told countless things about what was happening to you and had no idea what to believe. I was so certain you were dead- but even then I had no way to know. It nearly drove me crazy, Sonic... I worried about you so much." She said, even as a small smile found it's way onto her face. "But you're here now- and I... you have no idea how relieved...and at the same time ashamed I am. I promised to be there for you... and look at you! Look at us! Look at what's happened..." She stated. Sonic's eyes widened slightly, remembering when she had said that. That was back when he had gotten sick; and Amy promised to be there for him. He couldn't help but smile; Amy cared for him so much. "...I wish there were something I could do to get us out of here- but there isn't, and I feel like I've let you down. I know you aren't mad at me, but I still feel guilty." She said. Sonic smiled, and wrapped his arms around her.

"It's not our fault. We're innocent Amy- both of us. At least we have that." Sonic reassured her. For a few seconds they sat like that, until Amy pulled back, whisking away her tears.

"...You're right... I've been so freaked out over nothing. ...We just have to keep a cool head, and once we get out of here we'll look back on this day and laugh. You'll see, Sonic... It'll all turn out okay, won't it..."

Sonic knew she was just saying that; she was lying to him again, just like she had back at the basement- but he didn't mind. He understood that she was trying to be there for him, as she had ever since they arrived here; she was trying to be strong, just for him. But Sonic could tell that she was just as stressed out as he was. In truth, their fates were no longer their decision and they both knew it- ...but for at least a moment, none of it mattered. As long as they were together, corny as it sounds, and could rely upon each other's reassurance, Sonic found he was okay. A renewed strength, small as it was, poured into him. He was happy, and for once, did not feel guilty about it.

"Hey!" Barked the cruel voice of an overseer, interrupting the two hedgehog's sentimental moment. "No socializing! Break is over- get to work!"

After saying this, he threw some mining supplies to Sonic, and went back to monitor the other slaves in Amy's group. The blue hedgehog starred down at them blankly; he had never seen tools like this before, and had no idea how to use them. Amy smiled down at him, and helped him up, leading him over to where her group of slaves was continuing their work. She picked up an identical tool to the one in Sonic's hand, and demonstrated how it was used by prying away a large rock from the rest of the wall. Sonic at first considered asking why she wasn't verbally explaining; but he figured out himself as an overseer walked by, threateningly waving around a stun-baton. Finding a new resolve at being near the protection of Amy, he gave an attempt at this new form of work, hoping he wouldn't be caught for being in the wrong work division...

* * *

It had been an hour or two since Sonic had joined Amy in this new and advanced mining labor. Despite the simplicity of the tools and uncomplicated process; he just couldn't do it. This work was made for slaves who had been doing this for at least three months- Sonic had spent only a matter of hours in this place, and the aerobic strength he had gained from field labor served no good here. His body wasn't built for this; and he just couldn't do it. For a while there, he had begun to worry that the overseers would notice his futile attempts to dislodge the heavy rocks, and how far he was lagging behind the slaves more advanced in this work. But thankfully, Amy came to his rescue- the two hedgehogs would constantly switch positions, making it look like the two of them were both making fair progress- when in fact Sonic could do next to nothing after so much time of labor he was unused to, and Amy was being forced to work twice as hard to make up for the difference. But she didn't mind- she knew Sonic's life was at stake. If he got another beating like the one he got yesterday- he would certainly die, with how little time he had gotten to heal. 

Finally- to both Sonic and Amy's infinite relief, the third whistle sounded, and they sat down. He knew what that whistle meant- a break. Although the break of the third whistle was the shortest of the day- only 5 minutes long instead of 10- it was a break nonetheless, and Sonic nearly collapsed into Amy, who was sitting next to him. She laughed slightly at the innocence of his exhaustion, gently petting his quills. Apparently affection wasn't discouraged- just talking- for the guards walked past the young couple repeatedly. Sonic scoffed lightly to himself; that was awkward ruling.

"Thanks, Amy." He whispered quietly, making sure the guards were far out of earshot. "I don't know how you do that every day- it's impossible!" He declared, once again keeping his voice hushed. Amy smiled, and again made a point of smoothing the fur on his head with the palm of her hand.

"Shhh... rest up for now..." she gently commanded, again keeping her voice too soft for the guards to hear. Sonic grinned- for he once again couldn't contain his joy at being with Amy, after all those months of worry concerning her whereabouts. It was strange how contented her presence could make him be; even when added to the horrors of slavery. He had nearly forgotten how good it felt to be with a loved one.

Amy looked up from the blue hedgehog reclining comfortably in her lap to see one of the guards run, in a panic, down the tunnel and to the main officer, screaming bloody murder all the way.

He panted heavily, and shouted something in a language unfamiliar to the pair- but all the guards, taking great meaning in what he had just said, turned their heads and started shouting amongst one another- the subject must have been very distressing! The slaves paused momentarily too- for all out hysteria was breaking amongst the overseers and none understood. The officer, being the only one in the room to keep their demeanor, walked towards the guard at the entrance of the tunnel. In a raised voice, he then spit out a string of words that Sonic didn't know the meaning to; but they came off as ingredients of an aggressive statement. The guard stammered a few sentences back, and then the officer cursed loudly, turning back and shouting an order to the guards scattered amongst the area behind him. Almost immediately a large portion of the slave drivers took out their weapons and ran to the entrance of the mines, while a few others ran towards the slaves and began ordering them further into the tunnels. Sonic and Amy stood up in panic- nothing like this had ever happened before! In the midst of the noise, Sonic reached out and grabbed Amy's hand, to make sure he didn't loose track of her in the confusion. He wasn't going to loose her again.

_"What's going on?" _He asked, his eyes darting around the madness, trying to find a clue as to what was happening. Amy shook her head, glancing up and down the halls.

"I don't know!" She answered, pulling Sonic next to her to make sure they weren't separated. She took a few steps backwards, and the pair pressed against the rock wall to avoid being trampled by the panicking slaves and guards that were still in the area.

Suddenly, a figure jumped into the hall, and blasted some form of weapon at the slave drivers. Their clothes were not like the red garments of the overseers or like any other uniform Sonic had seen on the plantation, and moments afterward many more of similarly dressed people ran into the hall, as gunfire went wild.

Sonic gasped, tugging Amy closer to him and pulling her out of the way as an injured slave driver shot a gun in their direction. The two fell to the ground, and quickly stood up as an all-out battle erupted into the tunnels.

These new people were dressed in clothes consisting of many different shapes and colors of green; they wore military camouflage and helmets, and their vests and pants were covered in pockets. They ran through the tunnels and halls, corralling the slaves into groups and shooting every overseer they set their eyes on- and with little effort as well. One of them rushed towards Sonic and Amy, and the blue hedgehog panicked, expecting the worse from these people. Quickly, he grabbed Amy's hand and turned to run away, but an arm seized him around the waist, and pulled him from his feet- also pulling him away from the pink hedgehog beside him.

"Amy!" He screamed, turning around in his captor's grasp to see who was dragging him away from her.

It was not a slave driver who was attempting to take Sonic away- it was one of the new people, who were apparently attacking the plantation and all authoritive members within it. Sonic didn't know whether this was good or bad, and he glared up at the masked face of his assailant, struggling to get away.

"Ano maya- himitie! Nehshei!" Came a feminine voice from behind the helmet. "Faran megolt ka anayo!"

After the 'solider' was finished shouting, she tightened her grip on Sonic and turned towards the exit of the mine. Sonic noticed that many of these soldiers were doing the same thing- they shot down the guards, guided the groups of slaves towards the exit, and picked up the unwilling stragglers, (like Sonic and Amy) carrying them outside the mines. Sonic didn't know what to think of this- only that he wasn't going to leave Amy.

Amy was thinking similar thoughts- she wouldn't let this person take away Sonic, either. The pink hedgehog ran at the solider, attempting to pull the blue hedgehog away.

"Argah?" Came a confused and aggravated voice as she turned from the exit to stare down at the pink hedgehog attacking her.

"Amy!" Sonic shouted, again struggling to escape the soldier's grasp and run to her side of the feud.

The solider took a step back, to doge Amy's next attack, and looked at Sonic, who was struggling to reach Amy, and then the pink hedgehog, who was trying to reach Sonic...

"Eh gar _hedgehog_ un bala?" The solider declared in a questioning tone to the hedgehog. Sonic ignored her, having no idea what she was saying, and continued to struggle away.

The solider shrugged, and turned to a member of the 'plantation attackers' standing next to her.

"Feht gar _hedgehog _to gurron _exit_!" She shouted over the hysteria of the battlefield, pointing to Amy. The solider paused from fighting off the slave drivers, (who were attempting to regain control) and nodded, grabbing Amy as the two military personnel ran to the exit of the mine. Once these two left the tunnels of the mine and walked into the now arid fields surrounding it, they dumped the two hedgehogs amongst a large group of other slaves. Currently, these slaves were surrounded by camouflage-garbed personnel, holding weapons. But the weapons weren't pointed at the slaves- the soldiers were facing away from the large group they surrounded, as if to make sure... nothing came to harm them... Sonic raised an eyebrow- what was going on here? He turned to the solider who had brought him outside if the mine, who was preparing to leave.

"What's going on!" He shouted. The solider paused- and turned towards the hedgehog, as if surprised that he could speak. She kneeled down to look him in the eye, although Sonic still couldn't see her face due to the helmet.

"You speak?" She asked, her voice thick with accent. For a second Sonic didn't understand the question- but then he realized she was asking if he spoke _English._ He silently nodded. The solider looked around, then quickly patted the hedgehog on the head. "It's okay- you're safe here."

Her simple words aside- Sonic still didn't understand the situation. Safe? What did she mean by that?

"No! Why are you here? Why are you attacking the plantation?" He asked, pushing her hand away. The solider turned her head as another person in camouflage shouted something towards her. She nodded to the person to verify she understood, and then looked back to Sonic.

"Helotry is _wrong_. The people said 'no more'. And so here we are." She said, before standing up and running back towards the mine. Sonic attempted to stand up and follow her, but one of the soldiers surrounding the group of slaves grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Ano, _hedgehog_! Tie-eht heno ka. Bahna ka!" He shouted, pulling Sonic back and placing him next to Amy, who seized Sonic in her arms. The two sat down at the edge of the group of slaves, staring at the mine entrance as soldiers went in and out, bringing with them the corpses of Slave drivers and the scared, confused slaves who were either following behind them or being carried off forcefully as Sonic had been. Amy looked up at Sonic, worry in her eyes.

"What's going on?" She asked, staring at the site in utter confusion. Sonic shook his head, and pulled her arms further around him. His entire body shivered- and not because of the cold.

"I don't know."

* * *

Well there you have it. I guess I'll respond now.. 

**LPP: Yes, yes it was. At first I considered it being Knuckles or Tails- like they had come to rescue Sonic and Amy had supposedly died and the entire plot would be kind of like that- butI decided not to. I have better plans for our two hedgehogs... much better plans... (snickers evilly)**

SonicR: Aww, thanks! I hope you liked this chapter just as much as the others! I can personally pick out some parts that I think suck but that's just me talking.

**alleycat: Yeah I noticed I was trying to insert some humor where it didn't belong, but every so often I'll just be putting some little breaks betwen scene transitions that explain impersonal aspects of the plot. For instance, the one about the world they're on and then the one about slavery of the Mobians both provide informations important to the plot.**

**But otherwise, yes, I'll cut down on the stuph that shouldn't be there.**

CrystalRose: Thanks for the review- and actually, that little pink bird plays a handful of roles amongst the story... keep reading to find out.

**Ted,Liz&Ri2: I'm gonna put this bluntly; you're all awesome. But I have a story to update and I've responded to one review too many. My brain is melting. So take my thanks, review, and don't do the pancakes. (inside joke there, with the pancakes. Nevermind)**


	5. I stand corrected about chapter three

It had been a decent couple of hours since the plantation was attacked. All the slaves had been removed from the mines and placed in one of the many groups surrounded by the soldiers- and Sonic was starting to worry. He still had no idea why these people were here, what they were doing, or what their intentions were. They could be doing anything- kidnapping the slaves to sell on the market, killing the slaves in attempts to sabotage the country they were in, or maybe this kind of thing was routine...

...Sonic looked to the slowly growing pile of corpses as more and more bodies of the overseers were found scattered in the mines- and, rarely, one of the slaves who was caught in the crossfire. No- this was not planned by the plantation. Did that make it good, or bad? Sonic didn't know what to think of it- and all he was really sure of at this moment was that he was _scared_.

The last time things had changed so suddenly, and he had been put into a bad situation, it had ended horridly- as well as the time before that. It had just been another day spent fighting Eggman, and his arm had been seriously injured- his mind was filled with pain, and no other thoughts! He shouldn't have tried to use chaos control when he could not focus! ...But if he hadn't, he would have been killed by the explosives Eggman left after his escape. What was worse- death or someone living your life for you?

His thoughts were momentarily interrupted as Amy let go of his hand to gently stroke a finger against the bare and sensitive skin of his stomach and chest. Sonic knew that she was trying to help him relax, but right now he was beyond help; Amy couldn't answer his questions no matter how good she could make him feel.

Trying to relax, he nestled further against Amy- for there was no wall to lean on- and tried to find a suitable place to rest his head upon her shoulder. After making himself comfortable, his thoughts returned to the matter at hand- what was going on?

He remembered the words of the solider who had taken him here- _"Helotry is wrong. The people said 'no more'. And so here we are" _

What did that mean? _The people said 'no more' _... no more what? And how did that justify... whatever it was they were doing? As for 'Helotry is wrong', Sonic didn't even know what that meant... maybe Amy knew- anyway he needed more information about what was going on.

"Amy," He began, still nestled into the warm mew of her arms. "What's helotry?"

Amy looked down at him, her expression slightly surprised, then sad. She pulled Sonic a little closer, and let her eyes fall to the ground.

"Sonic, helotry is slavery..." She explained. Sonic's eyes widened, and he rethought what the solider had said.

_'Slavery is wrong. The people said 'no more' and so here we are...'_

The answer came easier than he would have expected- and he put the pieces of the sentence together. The people- meaning the civilians of this planet- had voted for... whatever this military was doing. Could it be that the people living on this world had voted for the halt of slavery? He had no way of knowing- for certain, that is- about the situation; but if what the solider had said proved to be true, only good things would come of it.

Sonic's thoughts were interrupted when he heard a voice, obviously directed at him, from his right. He and Amy both turned around- to see a solider standing above them. This person then kneeled down next to the two hedgehogs.

"Are you guys okay?" Came the familiar voice- and Sonic deducted that this was the same solider that had taken him from the mines. At first Sonic was wary and skeptic- he still had no knowledge as to what to expect from them, so it would be safest to talk with caution, act with caution and stay close to Amy at all times. Together these three decisions had never let him down, and so he had faith that they would protect him in this scenario as well.

The solider sat down, lifting her hands to her head and taking off her helmet, setting it on the ground next to her.

Her hair, a fiery orange, fell around her face and began with unusually light-colored strands of hair in the front. Other than that there was little unusual about her. She grinned warmly and reached into one of the many pockets on her military-standard pants, pulling out two granola bars and holding them out towards the hedgehogs.

Sonic at first jumped back and merely stared at the food as if she had just pointed a gun at him; his eyes darted from the food, to the girl holding it and then to Amy, who was sitting beside him. Confused, the solider drew her arm slightly back- the motion causing Sonic to flinch- and stared at the two with a puzzled expression.

"...You don't want any? I thought you would be hungry." She said, her voice still thick with accent as it had been three hours ago. Sonic didn't respond, but moved further into Amy's embrace and glared suspiciously at the food. True, he was hungry- very hungry- but he wasn't about to tell her that! Sonic was beginning to take his firsts steps into what felt like freedom- he had a grip, however small and slippery it was- on the situation. It was very satisfying, and at the same time something disturbed him.

He felt a longing, deep inside him, to be independent, but he also felt incapable of doing so. It was still his desire to know what was going on and be able to make decisions- but at the same time, the idea was disturbingly frightening! But there was no one here he could trust with his fate- certainly not the solider, or the military they worked for, or the civilians of the world who had enslaved him. So he was going to have to brave this fear himself. And at the same time he was absolutely terrified of the idea! For five months he had made not one decision on any aspect of his life- and now with the simple decision to take this food or turn it away was driving him crazy. It scared him- to no end- but he simply told himself he needed time to adjust and calm down. That was it; he just needed some sleep... and some food...

The thought of food brought him again to the matter at hand- the solider was still offering the granola bars, and he still found himself unable to make a decision. And so, a thought struck him- Amy. What would she like to do?

He wordlessly stared up at the prementioned hedgehog, his eyes asking what his voice could not- should they accept the offer or still be skeptical? Amy, as if surprised he had turned to her for the decision, at first paused, but then looked to the granola bars, and slowly took them, looking them over and taking a slow bite.

After determining that there was no harm in eating it, she handed the other one to Sonic and turned to the solider.

"...Thank you... but... may I ask- what's happening?" Amy inquired, wrapping an arm around Sonic's waist. The blue hedgehog was pleased with the secure feeling he got from being in her arms- and thusly complied, resting his head placidly upon her shoulder.

The solider smiled, and reached out to pet Sonic's quills, for whatever reason. However, the blue hedgehog scowled and pulled away, still nervous...

"A revolutionary movement, that's what. The U.W.O. decided that mass slavery was wrong, whether they were human or not. But this particular plantation didn't want to go quietly. We had no choice but to break in and rescue the animals here." She said. Sonic's ears perked, but his expression remained negative.

"Animals?" He argued. Is that all he was thought of as? The solider, seeing that she had offended him, laughed nervously.

"I'm sorry- It's just what we call you... " she said, taking another granola bar from her pocket and starting to eat it. "Anyway, now that we've gotten you out of the evil grasp of this illegal plantation, we're going to give the land to private farmers, use the funds for slave relocation, and give you guys some good homes." She said. Sonic raised an eyebrow.

"...I already have a home. I want to go back- to Mobius." Sonic argued. The solider shook her head.

"...I'm sorry, but the battle against alien slavery hasn't truly been won yet- yes, we outlawed slavery in places such as this- where you're treated horridly, but we couldn't stop the market altogether- can you imagine if we did? Ha! We'd need a lot more than a 2/3-majority vote and an army to do that." She took a hearty bite of her granola bar. "Slavery is still allowed on plantations and households- in moderation- we're shutting down huge corporate hellholes like this one. Also, we're trying to-"

"What!" Shouted Sonic. "You've saved us- just to put us back into slavery?" He yelled, nearly bolting to his feet, but finding that Amy held him down. The soldier held up her hands, shrugging, and shook her head.

"Well aren't you the pessimist. I don't make the news, I just enforce it- don't steam me out for hate of my kind! ...Besides, being a slave to a family provides much better care than here. When a slave serves in a domestic household or farm and not a corporation, it is required that they are provided with sufficient food, a minimal amount of abuse, proper medical care, humane shelter- It's much better than what you are going through now." She argued. Sonic glared.

"I don't care. It's _still slavery_. I'm **not** going back... I won't let them take her from me again... " he trailed off, clinging to Amy tighter with each word. "I'm not!" He shouted.

The soldier's eyes widened, and she looked between the two hedgehogs with a face full of conflict and pity. It was obvious she had her ideas about the alien slave policy herself- ones similar to that of Sonic's. But still, the solider kept a straight face.

"Whoa- back up their, spitfire. ...I'm sorry, but there's nothing I could do." She said. "I may be able to make sure you two go to the same farm, if it will-"

"I'm not going back! And my name isn't _hedgehog_!" He snapped. Amy, surprised by his anger, pulled her arms tighter around the blue hedgehog and gave him a stern glance. He should use some diplomacy- after all; the solider was doing the best she could. If they couldn't keep a cool head about them they would end up worse off than when they started.

"I'm sorry." The camouflage-garbed girl replied. "My name's Duva. Yours is... ?"

Her question still hanging in the air, she held out a hand. Sonic, still skeptic, pulled away, and glared at the handshake offered to him. Amy, however, sighed and shook Duva's hand, ignoring as Sonic stared at her confused and wordless.

"His name is Sonic. And mine's-"

"Amy!" Sonic protested, as she had just given his name- without his permission- to this person he was sure he could not trust. The pink hedgehog sighed, and playfully ruffled his quills, at which he complained audibly and struggled to smooth them back down.

"It's okay, Sonic... Come on, you know I wouldn't do anything that would put you in danger. You _know _that- we can trust Duva. She has good intentions." Amy said, smiling as she saw Sonic loosen up on the subject. Duva, however, laughed.

"The road to hell is paved in good intentions, you know. Breaking down the major plantations is going to deal a major blow- but slavery is wrong... it was either economic security or morality- I think you can tell why it took us so long to choose." The solider again took a bite of her granola bar. "If we're lucky, we'll eventually kill enough of ourselves off so that the planet can provide for what's left of us."

The hedgehogs stared at her with wide-eyes, and she again chuckled nervously.

"I'm sorry- I can get pretty negative sometimes... " She explained. Sonic's eyes narrowed and he moved away from her, pulling Amy with him. Actually he just kind of pulled on her arm, but Amy got the message and moved over next to him.

"Duva! Ano hungah tyem! Faran dragh deamun tolo!" Came a shout from behind them, and Sonic and Amy turned around to see what appeared to be the general of the squadron. Duva groaned and stood up, intentfuly ruffling Sonic's quills before he could react and walking off.

"Well, I've got a job to do- but as for you guys- get some rest. We'll be moving out of here once we get the green light from the U.W.O." Duva called as she walked away, joining a group of soldiers that were hopping onto military-standard automobiles and apparently riding to the wall of the plantation. After climbing onboard to the back of one of the many jeeps, she turned back and quickly waved to a few of the troops, before the car pulled away and eventually out of view.

Sonic still glared at the small dust cloud that the jeeps kicked up in their wake, and groaned lightly, turning back to Amy and resting his head in her lap. He looked up at her, shaking his head.

"They're no different. We haven't been rescued, we've just been move around- and they actually think they've done something good." The blue hedgehog glared into the dirt, and lifted a hand to smooth his ruffled quills- Duva thought of him the same way everyone else did- like an un-sentient animal- like a pet. He hated it. "They might as well not have come at all."

Amy frowned slightly, and stared down at the blue hedgehog leaning into her arms.

"Have you ever heard the phrase 'be careful what you wish for'?" She began, lifting a hand from around his waist to place against his shoulder, gently pulling him closer to her. He scoffed lightly and looked away.

"I've heard it- but it doesn't mean anything now. I wish for freedom- how could anyone rightfully tell me to be 'careful' with that?" Sonic asked, letting his shoulders sink and his ears flatten- more signs that he was quite unhappy. "They keep preaching and scolding and speaking in riddles- usually about things that aren't even true! I don't owe them a thing!"

"I want to go home too, Sonic- like you wouldn't believe." Amy interrupted, placing a hand to Sonic's cheek and forcing him to look up at her as she spoke. "I miss them- all of them. I would have given anything for these people to do what you say they should have. I do want them to send us all back home- but Sonic, and it pains me to say this- they wont." The pink hedgehog declared, her voice growing louder.

Sonic froze- she almost sounded like she was _angry_ with him. Although he tried to keep a cool demeanor- the idea of Amy being mad at him, when she was all he had left... His eyes sank to the floor and he pulled away, sitting upright and folding his knees to his chest- he must have looked quite like an injured puppy at the moment. He at least had the same affect- Amy almost immediately swallowed her words and jumped to his side, her hand flying to his shoulder.

"Oh no, Sonic..." She muttered quietly, running her hand up and down his arm. "No, no- you're right, you're right about all this. This _is_ wrong... It's all wrong." Sonic still wouldn't look up at her, and she gave out a sigh, gathering him up in her arms and gently placing her chin onto his shoulder. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled... all of this time in the mines... I don't know- you... You get used to yelling. It's the only way anyone will listen." She explained, gently rocking the blue hedgehog in her arms as she spoke. Sonic wordlessly lifted a hand and placed it on her right arm- the one wrapped around his chest.

"It's okay... really... I'm sorry, too..." He mumbled, once again positioning himself so that his head rested in her lap. "You're right, you know. It's not getting any better, is it?"

Amy was silenced, her hand floating above where she was about to place it on Sonic's back. Her eyes sunk to the ground, and she carefully rested her palm against the un-agitated quills, wordless.

"...That's what I thought. We're going to be slaves for the rest of our lives, aren't we, Amy?" He asked, remembering his fears of only days earlier. Fears that he would never get out. Fears that he might be forgetting. "It'll never be any better- because it never does."

The pink hedgehog scowled lightly, and looked out at the tiny black specks on the horizon- the military jeeps, camouflaged against the dark wall of the plantation.

"...Sure it will. You found me, didn't you?"

Sonic opened his eyes, and looked up at her- but he had no words to answer with, and simply stared. He had nearly forgotten. Sonic hoped that he hadn't hurt her feelings. Did he? If so, he hadn't meant to...

Amy noticed him staring, and looked back down at him, smiling lightly. She leaned down and gave him a brief kiss on the cheek.

"Get some sleep, Sonic. I'll wake you up if anything happens."


End file.
